


The Letter

by LisaDuncansTwin



Series: Songs of My Heart [3]
Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: M/M, Sappy, Written in 1998
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2013-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-22 08:06:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/910866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LisaDuncansTwin/pseuds/LisaDuncansTwin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Methos stumbles onto incriminating evidence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written in 1998, betaed by Diana, left unaltered. This story takes place between “Valkyrie” and “Comes a Horseman”.

“We need to talk, Mac.”

Duncan took a long sip of his Glenmorangie and leaned his head back. To be thinking about Methos and then suddenly have him appear was disconcerting. It was hard to make small talk when all he wanted to do was sweep Methos off his feet and carry him to bed.

“Yes, we do,” Duncan replied softly, “but can it wait? I was just about to go to bed.”

“Sure, I guess. Why are you up so late, anyway?” Methos asked. Duncan had given him a reprieve from his fishing expedition.

“Just thinking.”

“About anything in particular?”

Duncan thought about telling Methos the truth but quickly discarded that idea. 

“Not really. I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow at the university to discuss teaching next semester, and I was just thinking about what I would like to teach.” It wasn’t completely a lie, Duncan had thought about that.

Methos felt that Mac was holding back, but didn’t want to press. Methos nodded silently, their conversation could wait until later; it had waited this long. A wave of tiredness washed over Methos, and sleep was the only thing he wanted now.

“You mind if I sleep here tonight?” Methos said, motioning to the couch.

“Sure. I’ll get you a blanket.” 

Duncan set his glass on the coffee table and stood up. He got a blanket from the linen closet and a pillow from his bed. He brought them to the couch, and Methos took them gratefully. Their fingers touched, and both men felt a shiver run through them. Duncan quickly turned and went to the thermostat. He turned the heat down. _It sure seems hot in here._ Duncan thought. He turned around and watched Methos shrug off his trench coat and sweater. When Methos sat down to remove his shoes, Duncan watched the play of the muscles across his back as he struggled with the laces. Then the Ancient Immortal stood up and unbuttoned his pants. Duncan tried to look away but not before he caught a glimpse of the boxers Methos was wearing. 

Duncan walked to his bed and sat on the edge. He couldn’t get the picture of Methos in his boxers out of his head, and it was playing hell with his emotions. Not to mention his physical response to the sight. He was getting hard just thinking about the nearness of the man he loved. He could hear Methos getting comfortable on the couch. Duncan steeled his resolve and stood up to get ready for bed.

Methos knew the moment Duncan had started watching him. He enjoyed the fact that Duncan was watching. It definitely meant he was interested. Methos made every move a sensual event. He tried to draw out his disrobing, but he could only take off so much. He didn’t want to rush into a physical relationship; he wanted more than that with Duncan. 

He finally heard Duncan go to his bed. Methos shook the blanket out and leaned back against the pillow. Duncan’s fragrance surrounded him. Methos closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of the man he loved. Just thinking about it made him hard. _Great! Now I’ll never get to sleep._ Methos thought wryly. He looked over the low back of the couch and watched Duncan pull off his sweater. The sight of his golden skin was almost enough to push Methos over his limit. Methos tried to tear his eyes away but the golden skin and taut muscles mesmerized him. Duncan stood up, unbuttoned his pants and slid them down to the floor. He was wearing black silk boxers. _Oh God!_ Methos closed his eyes and willed his body to respond. Or rather, not to respond. He heard Duncan settle himself in bed and tried not to let the image enter his mind. Too late. He tried to picture the most depressing images he could so his mind and his body, especially his body, would stop reacting to the images of Duncan’s bare, golden skin. 

If Methos was having a hard time getting to sleep, Duncan was on a sinking ship. His mind was trying to calm his body but was losing ground quickly. A rampant thought crossed his mind about inviting Methos to his bed, which only caused him to grow harder, if that was possible. If only he was alone, he could take care of this problem. _Stop it!_ He thought to himself. If Methos knew what Duncan was thinking, he would probably run for the hills. Maybe not. Duncan had noticed that Methos had been watching him get undressed. The thought had made him both uncomfortable and aroused. If only he could go to sleep, these thoughts would go away. He focused on the classes he would teach and wrote a grocery list in his head to distract him from thoughts of Methos’ nearness. 

The men fell asleep within minutes of each other.

****

Both men woke up to the sound of a beeping alarm clock only a handful of hours after they had fallen asleep.

“Bloody hell!’ Methos grumbled as he pulled the pillow over his head.

Duncan turned the alarm off and rolled over. He was very tired. The few hours of sleep hadn’t provided any rest or eased his desire for the Ancient Immortal just a few feet away. In fact, his need was greater now than ever before. He had a painful erection that needed to be taken care of immediately. He wasn’t even sure he could get out of bed. Chancing a looked over to the couch, he couldn’t see a sign that Methos was wake. Pushing back the covers, he tried to ease out of bed as quietly as possible, making it into the bathroom and closing the door with a minimal amount of noise. 

Turning on the shower to cover any sounds he might make, he slipped off his boxers, leaned back against the wall and took his throbbing member in his hand. He closed his eyes as his hand found a familiar rhythm. He let his thoughts wander to Methos and what his body would feel like under his, writhing and moaning with pleasure. It only took a few strokes because he was so close to the edge. He bit his bottom lip to keep quiet as he came in shuddering gasps. He stood there, leaning against the wall, trying to calm the raging emotions running through his body. 

He eventually got into the shower and completed his morning rituals. Dressing quickly, he left without looking towards the man still sleeping on his couch. If he was to make it through the day, he couldn’t take the chance of seeing any bare skin of the man he desired more than his next breath. He did leave a note on the kitchen counter telling Methos he was welcome to stay as long as he wanted. Duncan was torn between wanting Methos to be there or be gone when he got home. 

****

Methos woke up slowly, languishing in the warmth of the blanket in the cold room. He stretched gracefully, flexing most of his muscles and hearing an occasional pop of a bone. Then he sat up and looked around. The loft was noticeably quiet, and the empty bed signaled that Duncan had already left for his meeting. The unmade bed was tempting, but a hot shower would suffice. As he made his way to the bathroom, he stopped at the thermostat and turned it up. 

He took a long, leisurely shower and finished his morning ritual quickly, though he did pause for a moment and lift Duncan’s bottle of after-shave to his nose. He closed his eyes and inhaled the familiar scent of the Highlander. Setting the bottle down, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. _What a sorry sight I am!_ Methos thought wryly. _I need a beer._ Methos headed for the kitchen and noticed the note on the counter. _As long as I want, huh?_ He opened the refrigerator, found a bottle of Guinness and popped the lid off in a practiced gesture. He took a long drink of the cold beer and sauntered to the bookshelves, where he finally settled on a book of Scottish poetry. He took the book over to the couch and sprawled out. After taking another drink of his beer, he set it on the coffee table. As he thumbed through the pages, looking for something interesting, an envelope fell out. He set the book aside and looked at the envelope. It was sealed, but there was nothing written on the outside. Methos flipped the envelope over and contemplated opening it. Curiosity won out over prudence. He carefully opened the flap and took the paper out. It was a letter written in Duncan’s handwriting. 

_Methos left town with Alexa yesterday. I don’t know what to do with myself and my feelings for him. I didn’t realize the extent of my feelings until he was gone. When did I fall in love with him? I think I was falling every time I saw him. I’ve never been in love with a man before; I guess I just didn’t recognize the feelings for what they were. Now he’s gone and I’m here, alone, spilling everything for him on this paper. I heard a song at Joe’s last night, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. The song is about a person who realizes, too late, that they lost the one they love to another. She, or in my case, he writes down his feelings in a letter, just in case they ever get together one day._

_The song haunted me all night, and I went out and bought it this morning. I think I have played it ten times so far. It’s country music, which is unusual for me, but the song, “What if it’s You”, touches my soul. What if it’s you? That’s funny. I spend all my life looking for love and then find it in the least likely place. I didn’t even know what I had until I lost it. Methos drives me crazy. Insane crazy. Physically crazy. There are so many times when I have to restrain myself from pulling him into a kiss. I think about him at night, and he haunts my dreams. I look for him around every corner and ache when he doesn’t appear. I just wish I knew what to do. Maybe someday I’ll get up the courage to tell him how I feel. It’s such a risk. I don’t want to lose his friendship, but I want his love. I feel like I’m being pulled in two different directions at once._

Methos let the letter fall from his hands. He picked up the warmed beer and swallowed the remainder in two swallows. MacLeod loved him. _Oh my God!_ Methos stood up and began pacing around the room, thinking about the implications of this knowledge. This was great news! MacLeod loved him, and he loved MacLeod. Everything was great. Except, how was he going to let Mac know that **he** knew? He stopped in front of the stereo and looked for the CD. It wasn’t hard to find, it was the only CD that wasn’t opera. He put it in and cued it to the song he had to hear.

Methos sat back down on the couch and let the song fill his ears and heart. He wished he could take away the pain Duncan had felt, but he knew that there was no way to change the past. Instead, he would control the future. He was on his feet again, pacing, planning and plotting. Methos was a sight to behold in his full scheming mode. Tonight, they were going to do more than talk. The thought of them in an embrace made Methos’ whole body ache. _Oh yes, tonight is going to be **the** night!_

_What if it’s you_  
 _What if our hearts were meant to be one_  
 _What’ll I do_  
 _Knowing that I’ll never love anyone_  
 _As much as I do love you_  
 _What if it’s true_  
 _What if it’s you_


End file.
